“Boys are a distraction. Ever since you started volunteering at that church with him, you’ve seemed different. Are you seeing him behind my back?”
“Oh my gosh, Mom. No. We’re just friends. But why is it such a big deal? What’s so terrible about boys?”
“We’ve had this conversation. Boys aren’t terrible, but you need to stay focused on your goals. I would hate to see you throw your future away for some crush.”
“You sound just like Dad.” She hardly recognized her tone of voice. It was prickly and wild, like poison ivy. “Do you really believe having a boyfriend would ruin my future?”
“Look, young lady.” Mom’s face was grave. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you’re about one word away from being grounded.”
Rae knew better. She did. She’d gone fifteen years and eleven months without ever being grounded. But the last few weeks of stress and fear and wondering what was going on in her family spurred her onward.
“And what word is that, Mom?”
Mom’s nostrils flared. “Your father and I will discuss your attitude tonight when he gets home. In the meantime, you’re driving to the office.”
Rae ignored the keys hanging from Mom’s outstretched finger and opened the door. “I’ll walk.”
“Rae.”
She shut the door behind her and stomped to the sidewalk, not looking back. If she hurried, she’d still make it in time. Not that she cared. She didn’t want the job. But a lifetime of high expectations and overachievement had conditioned her to recoil at the thought of missing an appointment. So she would go. At least it got her out of the house.
Mom didn’t follow or yell after her. Rae wasn’t sure what that meant, but it probably wasn’t good. Part of her wanted to run back to the house and throw herself at her mom’s feet. Instead, she strode purposefully to Parker Street and turned right. It was too late now. She’d done what she’d done.
Oh, heavens, what had she done?
The law office was easy to find. Businesses of all kinds lined Parker Street, their names etched proudly on windows or displayed in giant block letters above doors. She stopped in front of the office and straightened her blouse. Patted her hair. Hopefully the sweat she was feeling under her arms wasn’t showing up on her sleeves.
If Kylee were here, she would say to forget the interview and do something crazy instead. Something unexpected. Rae was already in trouble, anyway, and didn’t want a job her father had lined up. But what did she want?
The question frightened her. Without The Plan, her future was nothing but a scary swarm of unknowns. A place with more questions than answers. A place she did not want to be. She looked through the window at the people busy at work inside and heard her father’s voice. “Without faithful law practitioners,” he always said, “justice is just a pretty word.”
She believed that. She believed in what Dad did for people. Yeah, maybe he was overbearing sometimes, but he’d helped hundreds of families live better lives. The times she’d watched him in court during big cases had been some of the proudest moments of her life, the way he fought for truth and justice. If she stuck to The Plan, she could do that one day, too.
Maybe she’d overreacted earlier.
She checked the time on her phone. Five minutes early.
She opened the door.
RAE LEFT SCHULTZ and Hardy with more confidence than when she went in. The interview had been brief. To the point. They knew her father was a lawyer, knew she planned to attend Columbia and then apply to Columbia Law, and they wanted her to start this summer the day after school got out. They were nice, appreciated her timeliness, and were impressed she already understood most of their legalese. Dad had taught her well.
Maybe the job wouldn’t be so bad. It would be nice to earn some money. That was the point of The Plan, wasn’t it? But she wasn’t ready to face her mother after the way she’d behaved.
She turned the opposite way of her neighborhood and walked. It was overcast but warm, the earthy scent of mid-May permeating the air. She was surprised by how busy it was in this part of town on a Thursday afternoon. Parker Street met Fifth, and she turned, moving farther and farther from the problems that awaited her at home. It was only four-thirty. She could put off her return a little longer.
The houses grew smaller and older the farther she went down Fifth. She rarely saw this part of town. Not that Greenville was a big city or anything. It had grown a lot in the past five years but still had a small-town feel. Her family lived in the newest subdivision, called Evergreen Terrace, but she was pretty sure none of the neighborhoods in this area had names.
One front yard had a rusty old car sitting up on blocks. Another had a fierce-looking dog chained to a fence, a Rottweiler that growled and snapped his jaws at her as she passed. She walked slowly, taking in every detail, observing as Dad had taught her. Everything here was less glossy than she was used to. If there was grass in the yard, it had brown patches. If there was a car in the driveway, it was dinged up. The paint on every house was faded.
She reached the edge of town and turned around with a sigh. Five o’clock. Time to head back and face the music. Her stomach twisted. When was the last time she’d been in trouble? No wonder she avoided it. It felt gross. But even if she was in trouble, she didn’t want to miss dinner. She was starving.
Plus, she was banking on Mom and Dad feeling far less angry once she told them she got the job.
On her way back up Fifth, she neared a droopy gray house with dented gutters dangling from the roof. Shouts echoed through the air
